Server Slips Texan Couple Note, They Don't Read It Until After Leaving Restaurant

Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in September 2017. Carlos Sepeda Jr. and his wife Tammy recently fled their Houston home, having found themselves living a nightmare. On their way to Tammy’s mom’s house, Tammy’s mom decided to take them to Sam’s Restaurant in Fairfield, Texas. They sat at a table in Mary Gough’s section, and as they talked with Mary, the reason as to why they were in the area came up. What he gave him is below:

Photo Credit: Gofundme/Sepeda Relief Fund

Carlos, Tammy, and their family had lost everything in the Hurricane Harvey catastrophic flooding, and were sitting in the restaurant trying to come to terms with their new situation. The family had made sure that their belongings were off the ground, but this was not enough. Mary listened to their story, and when the family left the restaurant after they finished eating, Mary rushed after them and handed Tammy a folded note.

While in the parking lot, Mary opened the note and read the message: “This isn’t much compared to your loss. Buy you something special. God bless — my prayers are w/u.” Enclosed was a $100 bill. Carlos and Tammy knew that $100 was definitely not easy to come by for anyone who depended on tips to make a living, and they immediately headed back inside to find Mary.

They tried to give the money back to her, but Mary adamantly refused, then offered them a table and chairs to help them refurnish their home. Blown away by the kind gesture, Carlos took to Facebook to post about his story. It quickly racked up tens of thousands of shares and about a hundred thousand likes.